The One with Pregnancy
by AxCfangirl
Summary: Athrun becomes confused when his little daughter suddenly starts talking about "a baby in Mama's belly."


English is not my first language. Please bear with grammatical errors.

And for your information, my fic is based on the remastered version (but I watched the original version, too).

**Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD.**

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**The One with Pregnancy**

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"Athrun."

Hearing his name, he looked up from his computer to find his wife, who must have just come back from work, standing at the entrance of the room.

After coming home, having a light supper, and spending some time with his daughter, he had been reading reports on his computer in the Orange Room; only a couple more reports were left. The small room next to the entrance hall had been named after an orange tree right next to the window. Actually, according to what he had heard, it had originally had a different name, "some old people's name" as Cagalli had put it. But she, as a child, had started to call it the Orange Room since it made more sense to her, and it had stuck; now, everyone used the name.

Athrun often worked in the room while awaiting his wife's return. The smallness of the room offered a sense of privacy, which helped him concentrate, and he could hear it when she came home. Though he had been a little too distracted by the report he had been reading to notice her return tonight, apparently.

"Is anything wrong?" He was slightly alarmed by her serious expression.

"I'm tired," Cagalli said, coming toward the sofa he was sitting on with weary steps. "No, exhausted." She did look exhausted. "I need you to comfort me."

"Oh, okay." Relaxing, he closed the computer, put it aside, and opened his arms. "Come here."

Her face turning into a smile, she climbed onto his lap and nestled her head into his neck. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she let out a contented sigh. Softening his eyes, he massaged her shoulder, his other hand caressing her thigh.

"Feels nice," she murmured.

"Your shoulder is stiff."

"Mm-hmm..."

"Probably you need a long, hot bath," he suggested.

"Yeah...it sounds...good..." she mumbled, yawning. She already sounded half asleep.

He rubbed her back in circles without saying anymore, and before long, her body slumped further and her breathing became even. He kept massaging her body softly for a little while so that she could feel more comfortable in her nap.

Taking one hand off her body, he pulled his computer close and opened it to resume his work, his other arm securely holding her. But then, his ears caught light running steps coming near.

He turned his face toward the entrance of the room. A small figure soon appeared there, and he put a finger to his lips.

His daughter in yellow pajamas tiptoed toward the sofa, covering her mouth with one hand and clutching her stuffed lion to her chest with the other hand.

"Mama's sleeping?" Kitri whispered, reaching the sofa. Well, it was actually loud for a whisper, but he knew she was trying to be quiet.

"Yes, she is very tired," he quietly replied.

With a concerned look, Kitri patted Cagalli's leg in a comforting manner before raising a finger to her lips, saying "Shh!" to the stuffed animal in her arm. Athrun softened his face.

Her face then turned thoughtful and she looked up at him. "Is it the baby?"

He was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"The baby." She touched her mother's belly. "Is he making Mama tired?"

He shifted his eyes to his wife's stomach, then back to his daughter's face. "Um...why do you think your mother is with a baby?"

It was actually possible that Cagalli was pregnant. They had been trying for nearly half a year. But as far as he knew, they had not succeeded yet.

"Because there's a baby in Mama's belly," Kitri answered, looking puzzled as if he had asked about something so obvious.

Before he came up with a response, a nanny entered the room. "Lady Kitri, it's time for you to go to bed."

"Okay." Kitri nodded and climbed onto the sofa to kiss his cheek. "Good night, Papa."

"Good night, Kitri." Pushing the confusion toward the back of his mind, he kissed her forehead. Then he hesitantly asked, "Do you want me to read to you?" He glanced at his sleeping wife in his arm. He was worried that she might wake up if he tried to leave.

"No." Kitri shook her head and said firmly, "We should let Mama sleep."

With a tender smile, he stroked his daughter's hair. "You are a considerate girl."

Kitri smiled back, hugged Cagalli, and whispered goodnight. She left the room with the nanny, waving her hand. He waved back until she disappeared behind the wall.

But then, before he dropped his hand, half of her body popped back into his sight and she waved at him again. Chuckling, he gave another wave of hand. With a pleased smile, she disappeared once more.

He waited a little to make sure his daughter wouldn't reappear again. When he was about to shift his eyes away from the entrance of the room, a few maids passed by.

An idea occurred to him, and he raised his hand and waved to catch their attention. One of the maids noticed it and came to him. He gave some instructions to her in a low voice. She made a curtsy with a smile and went to do his bidding.

Satisfied, he finally returned to reading reports, one of his arms wrapped around the waist of his wife on his lap. He was in the middle of reading the last one when Cagalli shifted and groaned.

"How long was I sleeping?" she asked sleepily.

"Not long," he answered, taking his eyes off the computer screen and closing the computer.

Rubbing her eyes, she looked around. "I thought...I heard Kitri."

"She was here to say goodnight."

She frowned. "Why didn't you wake me up then?"

"She didn't want to disturb her tired mother's sleep."

Letting out a breath, she put her head back on his shoulder with a smile. "She's such a warm-hearted kid."

"She is," he agreed with a proud look before asking, "Are you feeling better?"

"I think so." She stretched her body, though she didn't show any intention of getting off his lap, which was completely fine with him.

"Good. Then, we can have a little talk." He shifted his body and hers so that he could have a better look at her face. "Earlier, Kitri said something...interesting."

"What is it?"

"Before that..." He narrowed his eyes inquiringly. "Is there something you have to tell me?"

She blinked, then her face turned a little guilty. "You found out about the peach jam?"

It was his turn to blink. "The peach jam?" he parroted before his brain made sense of the words. "You mean the one Ms. Murrue gave us?"

"Yeah. This morning, I was kind of craving for it and before I knew it, it was all gone. Sorry. I know you loved it."

"Ah...okay," he said. He was actually feeling somewhat disappointed about the jam. It was a handmade one Murrue had bought at some farm she had visited with her family, and he couldn't easily get another one. But right now, he had something more important to ask his wife. "Anything else?"

She thought a little, then shook her head. "I don't think so." She studied his face curiously. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, Kitri just informed me you are pregnant."

She stared at his face, then down at her midsection, and then, back at his face. "Pregnant? Are you sure?"

He shrugged. "As I told you, it's Kitri who said it."

"But how can she know?"

He gave another shrug. "I thought you'd found out about the pregnancy and told her. But it's not the case, I suppose?"

"No, I had no idea." She rubbed her stomach wonderingly. "Do you think I'm really with a baby?"

"There is only one way to know for sure."

"Right. I'll send for doctors tomorrow."

He nodded, but said warningly, "Don't get your hopes up. It's a three-year-old's words we are basing this on."

She thought a little before saying, "But I remember something. I've heard somewhere that little kids can sometimes sense if a woman is pregnant."

"But it's just a myth, isn't it?"

"Well, you never know." Her eyes twinkled. "Myths can contain a grain of truth, no?"

He shook his head, but didn't argue with his wife. "Are you ready for a bath, by the way? I had it prepared for you."

"I don't know." She nuzzled her face to his shirt. "This sofa is so comfortable I don't want to move."

"Then it's good for you that this 'sofa' can carry you to the bathroom." Smiling, he stood up, her still in his arms.

She let out a laugh, clutching his shoulder. "Wow, it seems I got a great deal." With a mischievous smile, she poked his cheek. "I wonder if this 'sofa' can accompany me into the bath, too?"

"Sure. You probably need someone to watch out for you in case you fall asleep," he teased, though half serious.

She had actually fallen asleep in the rather large bathtub in their bathroom several times. Although those had not been exactly life-threatening incidents, he was still somewhat worried. He had been planning to keep a close eye on her while she took a bath anyway.

"You're being a worrywart again, aren't you," she said with a knowing look.

He lifted his shoulders. "I'm just concerned for my wife's well-being."

"What a caring husband I have," she said teasingly.

"Exactly. Lucky you."

"Lucky me indeed." She affectionately placed a kiss on his jaw. "I'm thinking about giving you a good head massage to show my appreciation."

His lips curved up with as much affection. "Sounds nice."

Although he didn't admit it often, he liked his wife taking care of him, which he let only a few people do. To completely relax and put himself in her hands had not been so easy at first; he had not been used to doing something like that with anyone. But he had gradually accustomed himself to it and learned how good it felt.

He also liked taking care of her, and it was one of the good things about sharing a bath with her. They could take care of each other, fulfilling the needs to take care of the other and be taken care of by the other at the same time.

Taking a bath together also gave them a chance to talk about their day while cleaning up themselves which they had to do anyway. It was basically killing two birds with one stone, and using time effectively. It might sound too unromantic, but managing their time wisely was important to them since both of them could be quite busy with their work. Besides, however he described it, it didn't change even a little how much both of them enjoyed sharing a bath, and each other's company.

Adjusting her warm, soft body in his arms, he placed a kiss on her hair. "I can give you more massage, too."

She beamed at him. "I'm looking forward to it. Your fingers sure do wonders."

His smile became wider at his wife's compliment as he walked into their sitting chamber and headed for the bathroom adjoined to their bedchamber.

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"But it's so small! I wasn't so small!"

"You were. When you were in my belly. This nose, this hand, oh, and this belly. All so tiny."

"Mama, that tickles!"

The next evening, when Athrun came home from work, his wife and daughter were chatting and laughing in the Fountain Room—the family's favorite room from which they could have a good view of the water fountain in the garden and walk right out of the window into the garden if they wanted—with Cagalli's computer on the table in front of them.

They appeared to have taken an early bath since both were in their pajamas, Cagalli's red, Kitri's green. Perhaps they had shared a bath.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked, walking toward them.

"Hey, you're home." His wife smiled, her hands stopping tickling their daughter.

"Papa!" Kitri enthusiastically waved her hand holding her stuffed lion.

Sitting on the sofa next to her, he saved the poor lion from being banged on the back of the sofa by taking the doll from Kitri's hand, and put it on her lap.

"Be careful, or you'll break his arm again," he warned.

Last month, his daughter had gotten the lion stuck in a gap between furniture; trying to make it pass through the gap by pulling its arm, she had ended up ripping the arm off, and crying her eyes out.

With a frown, she patted the lion. "There, there. It's all right. You're a strong boy."

Shifting his eyes away from her, he looked into the computer screen. There were pictures of a fetus lined up obviously to show how it developed. He raised a questioning eyebrow at Cagalli.

"Kitri asked if the baby isn't uncomfortable in my belly since there isn't much space in here," she explained, patting her stomach. "So I was showing her babies don't need much space. Not at first, anyway."

"Papa." Kitri tugged at his arm. "Babies are really, _really_ small," she said to him as if telling a huge discovery.

He smiled at her serious face. "They are, aren't they?"

"But he is going to become big." Cagalli hugged her daughter, smiling. "Just as you did."

"How big?" Kitri asked.

"How big do you think?"

With a concentrated look, Kitri observed the pictures again.

Meanwhile, Athrun leaned over her small body toward his wife and asked, "So you are really...?"

"Yup." Cagalli nodded with a smile. "We are officially going to welcome a new member into our family."

He felt a wide smile suffuse his face. "I'm...excited," he whispered, his heart swelling with happiness.

She returned the smile. "Me, too."

They leaned toward each other, but before their lips met, their daughter interrupted.

"Mama." Kitri held out her stuffed lion toward her mother. "He'll be bigger than King, right?"

Turning her body toward Kitri, Cagalli glanced at him and mouthed, "Later."

He gave a small nod and shifted his attention to Kitri as well.

"Sure. He'll be bigger, and heavier. It'll be difficult for you to hold him on your own, unlike with King," Cagalli told her daughter.

"This bigger?" Kitri asked in a hopeful tone, widening her arms. The distance between her hands was seemingly twice the average size of a newborn at least.

"Not that big. About this big." Cagalli moved Kitri's hands so that the distance between them was closer to the length of the baby's body when he first came out of his mother's womb.

Kitri frowned down at her hands, examining the distance. "So he's not really big." She was clearly disappointed.

Athrun circled his arm around her shoulders. "Eventually, he will be as big as you."

"Are you sure?" His daughter looked up at him with big amber eyes.

"Yes," he answered, then added, "though it takes years."

Her face fell. "One year?"

"A little more."

"You mean, like two years?" She looked almost horrified. "It's too long!"

"Sorry, dear, it can't be helped." Cagalli ruffled her blue hair with a smile.

With a pout, Kitri banged her legs to the sofa. "It's too long," she repeated. "I want him big now."

Her parents exchanged looks before squeezing her from both sides.

"We know it's frustrating for you," Cagalli gently said. "Several years must feel like forever to you."

Athrun took over. "But he needs that time to grow up healthy. You want him to be healthy, don't you?"

"And strong," Cagalli added.

Kitri glanced at her mother. "He'll be strong?"

"I'm sure he will be." Cagalli caressed her cheek. "He's your little brother."

"So, as his big sister, can you be patient and let him take his time?" Athrun asked.

Kitri remained silent for a while, pursing her lips, then said, "Okay..." She looked between her parents. "But you _must_ promise me he'll be as big as me."

Both her parents smiled. "We promise," Athrun said.

"He may become even bigger than you someday," Cagalli said.

"Really?" Kitri's eyes widened. "But he's my little brother, right? How can he be bigger than me?"

"The age and the height don't always match. Even if he becomes taller than you, he'll be still younger than you and so remain your little brother," Athrun explained.

Kitri knitted her eyebrows, trying to understand her father.

"I give you an example. Your father is taller than me, right?" Cagalli said. Kitri nodded her head. "And we were born in the same year. But you know his birthday is in October and mine is in May. So he is five months younger than me. You can see he's both taller and younger than me, yeah?"

"So..." Kitri thoughtfully said, "Papa's your...little husband?"

"Hm." Cagalli put on a thoughtful look. "Maybe you could—"

"No, you can't say that," Athrun interjected. "Husbands and brothers are different. It's 'younger husband,' not 'little husband,' all right?"

His daughter nodded, but his wife protested, "Why not? 'Little husband' sounds adorable."

"I don't like the sound of it," he said firmly. "And this matter ends here."

She pouted. "You are such a spoilsport. You don't understand humor."

He ignored her complaint and moved the computer closer to Kitri. "Why don't you play a word game and learn correct words?"

She happily started playing a game. As he leaned back into the sofa, a thought came to his mind.

"By the way," he said, turning his face to his wife, "do we already know it's a boy? Isn't it too early to tell?"

Cagalli stopped pouting and replied, "Yeah, doctors don't know yet. But Kitri keeps referring to the baby as 'he.' So I just go along with it."

He slightly frowned. He waited for Kitri to end the game, then tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

"Can you tell me why you think the baby is a boy? And how you knew there is a baby inside your mother?"

Kitri tilted her head, looked at Cagalli's midsection, then back at him.

"Because he's there and he's a boy," she answered with a puzzled face, clearly unable to grasp the meaning of his question.

He looked at her with a blank face. They stared at each other for a while, their faces mirroring each other's confusion though their reasons were clearly opposite, until Cagalli patted his shoulder.

"Let it go, Athrun." His wife carelessly shrugged. "There are some things we can't explain, I think."

"Maybe..." he reluctantly said, sighing, his forehead creased in a frown and his shoulders slumped. He didn't like things he couldn't explain. But his daughter didn't seem able to offer a reasonable explanation.

He lifted his gaze as a small hand touched his forehead. Kitri was standing with her knees on the sofa to reach for his head.

"You don't like the baby?" she asked with a worried face.

His eyes widened. He was almost frozen, but willed himself to hastily gather her in his arms.

"No, it's not that. Don't worry. I'm happy about the baby," he said in a firm and reassuring voice. "I'm just...well, confused." He averted his eyes a little.

She hugged his neck and patted him on the back. "There, there. It's all right, Papa. There, there."

He raised his eyebrows, but soon softened his face. "Yes, I'm all right. Thank you," he said, hugging her back.

Watching it, Cagalli smiled fondly. "Our daughter is the sweetest kid ever, don't you think?"

He just smiled and kissed Kitri's cheek. She giggled. Her giggle became louder and happier as her mother kissed her other cheek.

They shared a happy family moment until a maid came to tell them dinner was ready.

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**The End**

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Thank you for reading. If you've written a review for my other fics, thank you for that, too.


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